An economic and financial crisis whose end cannot be foreseen in the face of emergency management for which there is no instrument. From here starts the analysis of the situation made by the commissioner for the emergency Domenico Arcuri – who is also CEO of Invitalia – in a video hearing with the Finance and Productive Activities Commission of the Chamber.
“The economic and financial situation is known, the crisis (from coronavirus) has first of all completely unpredictable characteristics, size and duration, common to those of others experienced in past decades – he said -. Its specificity is the “disordered duration”: we cannot predict how long economic and social activities will be conditioned and will have to be limited “.
As for the supplies of personal protective equipment Arcuri stresses that “at the end of the summer we can get rid of this burden (purchases abroad, ed) and say that we have 100 percent of personal protective equipment (dpi) produced in Italy, is currently a quarter. I think in 40 days not me, but the Italians have done a good job. “
The commissioner then explained that “Italy is managing the emergency in comparison with other countries with methods and tools largely sufficient to deal with it, unfortunately there is no tool capable of defeating it”. Arcuri believes that “the second characteristic of the crisis is its nature, because it limits but does not reset economic activities when it is good, prevents the same activities when it goes bad, prevents the mobility of goods and people”. “The third characteristic is that the crisis is global, it has an impact on economic relations between countries. Italy has approached the crisis with the strengths but also the structural defects it has, with its size of debt but also of savings – again the commissioner – the crisis is absolutely exceptional in terms of duration and global characteristics. The instrument put in place by the government is of great significance in terms of size, assessing whether it is sufficient or needs other interventions has to do with an impossible assessment, that is know how long the epidemic will last.
“From Monday (May 4, beginning of phase 2, editor’s note) if they are needed we can distribute 12 million masks per day, from June 18 million, from August 24 million per day. We distribute them for free to health, public administration, law enforcement and essential services, from Monday also to local public transport and public and private RSAs. But the commissioner does not distribute masks to the citizens, he must put them in a position to buy them at the cheapest possible price, hence the price settled at 0.50 cents. Do people say he has no masks? I more than give them to the indicated categories and pharmacies, I cannot do “underlined Arcuri.” The goal of the calmed price of the masks is to destroy a shameful speculation, with the price at 0.50 a parent goes to the pharmacy and with a euro he buys two masks. I asked for penalties for those who despite the norm try to sell at a higher price. I would like to read a rule in which these speculations are not only canceled, but sanctioned. I have power to confiscate and I am doing it. “
“During the first days of the crisis the price of the masks, of 8 cents before the emergency, had reached at least 5 euros. There was no national production of goods considered marginal and which became primary consumption” said Arcuri to the Finance and Activities Commissions of the Chamber. “The price settled at 0.50 cents? There are the uproar of the damaged few and the silence of the many advantaged citizens, but who have no media voice unlike the first – he added -. The cost of production of the template is 5 cents according to our analyzes, you understand what the profit space was, you had to limit it, especially since the companies were not all Italian. Companies now give it to us for 38 cents. “
“This company, which I derive from your application that has another company name, has not made a contract with the extraordinary commissioner, must not ask me the question“Thus Commissioner Domenico Arcuri alluding to Crai group who announced to withdraw the surgical masks from the sale because the calmed down price of 0.50 cents is lower than the purchase price by the company.
As for the evolution of the disease, Arcuri makes it known that with fans and intensive care “we are equipped to withstand peaks even higher than those of the first phase of the emergency; the apocalypse does not support anyone, but we are all convinced that there won’t be “.” We now have about 1,980 places occupied in intensive care out of an availability of 9 thousand, we have distributed 4,200 fans and we could double the number in a few days – he adds -, but not only for now are needed, but we don’t know where the biggest outbreaks will be “in Phase 2.
“For the templates we have set a maximum sale price, not a purchase price. I reassure you that the objective of reducing the price is not hostile to the objective of equipping an Italian supply chain and replacing with it products that we are forced to import. So the commissioner Domenico Arcuri. “We are reasoning that for the masks in the warehouse the companies do not have to lose, thinking of forms of refreshment if they bought at a higher price (before the discounted price, editor’s note). From tomorrow, however, they will not be able to buy at a higher price, otherwise they will have to lose. “
“The most suffering sector of the economy is trade, not industry, which largely never closed – continued Arcuri – but we must reconcile the needs of reopening with the health of citizens. There (in commerce, ed.) The biggest problem is concentrated, but I have understood that the progressive reopening of these sectors also begins on 18 May“.
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